Nitroglycerine-shell



(No Model.) I

C. P. WNSLOW. NITRGLYCERIN SHELL.

. K IN.

NITED STATES PATENT Gerlos.

CHARLES P. WINSLOW, or WESTBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS.

NlTROGLYGERlNE-SHELL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Setters PatentNo. 49 4,696, dated April 4,1893. d Application filed April 4, 1892-. :Serial No. 427,652. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern-- Be it known that I, CHARLES P. WINsLoW, of Westborough, in the county of Worcester, State of Massachusetts, have invented certaiunew and useful Improvements'in Nitro glycerine-Shells, of which the following is a description sucien'tly full, clear, and exact to enable any person skilled in the art or Science to which said invention appertains to make-and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in whichy Figure l is a vertical'longitudinal section of my inproved shell; Fig. 2 a butt-end Ielevation of the same; ,and Fig. 3 aI sectional View illustrating a modification. Likeletters and figures` of .reference indicate corresponding fpartslin'the dierent figures of the drawings.

My invention relates' especially to a shell for cannon with means whereby the` nitroglycerine or other similar explosive may be formed after the shell leaves the gun and automatically explode by the impact'withthe object fired at; or such explosion so timed that itwill occur after the shell has penetrated such object. l

4 In the drawings, A represents the shell of the cartridge which is of the ordinary conicalform and is provided at its butt with the \usual sof-t metal sabot, b. The shell is chambered centrally and longitudinally and the mouth of the chamber is tapped and screwthreaded at, d. The bottom of the chamber phuric-acid and thirty parts of nitric acid.

Said vial in its can, D, is then disposed in'the is concave, as shown at,f, in Fig. l.

A can, D, of tin or similar material is'constructed to it closely into the chamber, its bottom, g, terminating atathe beginning vof `the curveof the bottom ofj said chamber. f

A close fitting vial or bottle, C, otA frangible material is disposed in the'can and is provided with a stopple, h. Said vial is provided at its ends with a cushion,E, comprising rings of rubber or similar material. A scre\ -plug, B, is turned into the threaded mout d, of

thechamber until it engages against the outer cushion ring, E, forcing it against the bottom of the vial which is thus held tightly betweenv said rings. Said plug is provided with a head,

J, which is hexagonal in elevation, as'shown in Fig. 2, and which Yoverlaps the mouth-of I the chamber. The plug, B, from its inner end is chambered centrally and longitudinally to receive a vial of f rangible'material, F, of preferably one tenth the capacity of-the vial, C. A stopple, closes the mouth of the vial,

F. The mouth of the chamber containing l the vial, F, is interiorly screw-threaded to receive a thu rnb-screw or plug, I, of soft metal which closes said chamber from lthe main shell chamber when the plug, B, is in position.

Centrally from the bottom of the chamber containing the vial, F, and in alignment a small chamber, G, is constructed to contain the cap or fulminate; The mouth of the cham. ber is interiorly screw-threaded at,-o^, to receive, it its'use is deemed essential, a screwplug of soft metal.

In a head, J, of the plug, B, a peripheral.

--greove, Hgis 'constructed to contain y a-time fuse which is disposed therein and secured by a piece of soft metal, as, plugging the mouth A of said groove. The groove is continued dia'gonally at, y, through the head until it registers with a touch-hole or nipple, m, opening into the fulminatechamber, G.

The @m1, closing the month 0f the cnam-f. y

ber containing the vial, F, is flanged at, 1o, to overlap the edges of said mouth so that press ure from the chamber containing the large vial will not disconnect or force in said plug, I. A gasket of rubber, z, is interposed under the lia'nge, p, to retard lthe action ot acid in the main chamber on the soft metal plug, I.

In use the vial, C, is filled with aqua-regia or a solution containing sixty parts of sulshell chamber. The chamber, Gis filled with fulminate .of mercury and a time-fuse is disposed inthe groove, H, inA such manner that the powder in the gun. The vial, F, is ll-ed `itsend maybe ignited from the explosion off with glycerine. and secured 'in its vchamber in the "plug, B, by the screw-cap, I. When the shell is fired from the gun the jar of the explosion will fracture the vials, C F. vThe-forceY of the jar as the shell leaves is froml .its point rearwardly, so`that the plug of vsoft metal, I,

anged at, p, as'describe'd, is `not-displaced from the mouth of its chamber. by the explosion of the gun. As the shell meets the ob.

ject `-at which it isivired the force o't the impact drives .the pl-ug,v I, forward from the;

4o the nitro-glycerine,l and immediately thereafmouth of its chamber into the main shell chamber, permitting the contents of the two vials to mingle which results in the immediate formation of nitro-glycerine. W'hen thel fire of the fuse'in -the groove, H, reaches thenipple, m, leading to the fullninate chamber, G, said fulminat'e isi'm mediate] y ignited Vcausing the explosion of the nitro-glycerinepreviously formed and-the .fracture of the shell after it lo has penetrated its object.l By thus arrang- -ing the partsall danger resulting from handling the shells is obviated the only immediate explosive thereinbein'g the small quantity of fnlminategheld in the chamber, G,

whichis fullyprotected from the force ofany percussion thatfwould be suflicient to explode it. p

The-elements for forming the nitro-glycerine being separated" by the metallic cap, I, 2o and the vial, C, being protected by its rubber cnshionsa jar sufficient to displace said cap,

I, is necessary before the contents of the vials mingle; Moreover, I dress the cartridge of fnlminate with which I till the chamber, G,

with a covering of rubber and asbestus which renders it impervious to such amount of heat as would be received by the shell from thel .tiring of the gun.- It is designed to turn the cap; I, into'the plug, B, such a short distance 3o that as littleresistance as 'possible Willbe offered to Aits displacement by the impact of the shell, .but toprovide against the contingency ot' itsnon-rdisplacement-atgthe proper time?. can, .iff .l desirable, tform` 'tvcl'o ful min ate cham- `j bers, G G, a'sshewnin Fig. 3. 'These are connected atdilerent points with the timefnse 'sothat said fuse Will explode one fulminate cartridge to break the vial, F, and drive its 4 contents into the-main'chamber 'for forming f ter' the second tujlminate lwill ignite and canse the explosionl of the shell.` l; 'l

I do not confine myself to using gly'cerinev inthe viaLF, as ordinary tallowor any other- 'animal fatmay bensed, if preferred, and the same vmay be disposed in the vmain. chamber around the acid vial to be' attacked by said. acid as soon as said' vial` is broken, without departing from the spirit of my invention, the

5o salient feature of which is to provide the shell with apparatus and materials whereby an eir-v plosive maybe automatically formed vatten; the shell has left thegunand ignitedC or sets, off'either'by the-force of the.`impact of" thell 5 5y shellwith the object at Which. itisdischargedl or'by a time-fuse' after' the shell has pene-ftr'ated--said object.'r v

, The devicedescribed mayalso beiused as a= torpedo.v This may bev done by tapping into 6o' the concave bottom, f, of the main chamber,

vWith the ful 'stantially as' speciiied.

.shell is immersed. ,This Will set 0E the explosive and explode the'nitro-glycerine in the same manner as described for the fulminate Which in this form is omitted. All the essential features Aot a torpedo are thus attained with the added safety of firing the explosive after leaving the gun. n

- Having thus explained my invention, what 1. A nitro-glycerine shell provided with an internal chamber, and a screw-threaded butt also having a chamber therein, said chambers carrying the explosive elements; and a screw threaded plug inserted in said butt separating thc butt and shell chambers, said plug bein'g displacedvby the impact of the shell Where- 'by the elements are mixed when the shell strikes an object. y

2. A 'nitro-glycerine shell having a frangible vessel therein; a detachable butt; a frangible vesseldisposed in achamber in said butt; a partition separating said vessels and removable by' the impact of the shell; a fulminate chamber in the butt opening into its vessel chamber; 'anda groove inthe butt connecting minate for receiving a time-fuse, substantially as described. v 3; A nitro-glycerine shell having a frangi ble vessel, @,disposed therein; the screwbutt;

'the .frangible vessel, F, disposed in a chamber therein'opening into the shell chamber; the detachable plug, l, separating said chambers;

'the Vinlniinate chamber, G,.io said. butt; and

the fuse. groove, H, connecting with the nipple of-said chamber, all being arranged sub- 4, ,Animo-glycerin@ shell having a frangi- 'vble vessel disposed Itherein; a chambered screw;bputt; a frangible vessel in said chamber; a hanged screw-plug in the mouth of said lchamber arranged to y'be di'smoimtedA by the impact ofthe shell;afulminate chamber open- --in'g into'thebntt chamber, and va fuse port Ainisaid butt connecting 'with the.v nipple of said fnlm irate. chamber, substantially as ele-- vCHARLES P. WINSIWJ4 Witnesses: K. DURFEE,

'0. M. SHAW. y

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